What a World Without Planned Parenthood Looks Like

Across the country, Planned Parenthood's more than 650 health centers provide care to 2.5 million people, who visit clinics for STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, birth control, abortions, and much more — and that's just in one year. In her lifetime, one in five women will visit a Planned Parenthood for care. And among its patients, Planned Parenthood is the only family planning care a lot of people get. In states like Missouri and South Dakota, Planned Parenthood is the only remaining abortion provider in the entire state. So if Planned Parenthood were defunded and patients couldn't access care, it's easy to imagine how widespread the impact would be on people who depend on the organization for care. And while you might be able to imagine it, it's a little different when you actually see it.

In a new video for Planned Parenthood called UNLOCKED, Joss Whedon makes it very clear what a world without Planned Parenthood could look like: it could mean less STD prevention education and potentially more STDs, it could mean women not getting critical screenings that prevent cancer, it could mean college scholarships missed out on because of unintended pregnancy, and it could mean so much more. Recently, the House of Representatives voted on a Republican healthcare bill that includes stripping Medicaid reimbursements from Planned Parenthood for one year. If current defunding efforts and attacks on Planned Parenthood work and the doors are locked, the 2.5 million people who depend on the organization for care could face the same fate as the people in the video, which is why Joss Whedon proposes a question: What world do you want?

“If politicians succeed in shutting down Planned Parenthood, millions of people lose access to basic health services. STD testing, birth control, cancer screenings… how can these be at risk?” said Writer/Director Joss Whedon. “UNLOCKED is about what a world without Planned Parenthood would look like, which is truly dire. I’ve supported Planned Parenthood in the past, but until I worked with them closely on this, I didn’t understand how many services they —and for some, they alone—provide. For so many, there’s an obvious tipping point between hope and despair. Planned Parenthood is a beacon of hope, and anyone trying to shut it down is committing an act of evil. It’s not just inhumane—it’s inhuman. I just wanted to remind those of us with some humanity still stirring how much is at stake."

The video follows three people whose lives end up drastically different without care from Planned Parenthood. It shows them first in a world without Planned Parenthood, then reverses course and sees them with the organization's help. We see a woman who, without her annual cancer screening, ends up sick in the hospital. A teen who, without a peer counselor trained by Planned Parenthood in STD prevention, ends up needing medication to treat an infection. A girl who, without the birth control she got at Planned Parenthood, ends up pregnant and unable to take her college scholarship. And while these scenarios might seem like the worst case, they aren't implausible.

“Each day, thousands of women, men, and young people call us seeking care," Sue Dunlap, President & Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles said in a statement. "They often reach out to us in their most vulnerable moments, and we are committed to keeping our doors open to them—no matter what. This includes making sure they have access to basic care like birth control, cancer screenings, and STD testing and treatment, and that all young people have the information and tools they need to make healthy, informed decisions."

And because a world without Planned Parenthood looks bleak, Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said at an event in New York City on Tuesday that it's critical young people fight for the future of reproductive and sexual health — just like we see one young woman fighting for the future of her peers' sexual health by getting trained as an educator.

"If we invest in young people, they're there," she said. "[We need to] give them the support that allows them to go do amazing things."